scholarly journals Vertical profile of the clear-sky aerosol direct radiative effect in an Alpine valley, by the synergy of ground-based measurements and radiative transfer simulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Fasano ◽  
Henri Diémoz ◽  
Ilias Fountoulakis ◽  
Claudio Cassardo ◽  
Rei Kudo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Vertical Profile ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Asymmetry Factor ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Atmospheric Column

AbstractAtmospheric aerosols play an important role in Earth’s radiative balance, directly interacting with solar radiation or influencing cloud formation and properties. In order to assess their radiative impact, it is necessary to accurately characterise their optical properties, together with their spatial and vertical distribution. The information on aerosol vertical profile is often scarce, in particular in mountainous, complex terrains. This study presents the first attempt to evaluate the shortwave aerosol direct radiative effect in the Aosta Valley, a mountainous region in the Northwestern Italian Alps. Ground-based, remote sensing instruments (a sky radiometer and an Automated Lidar Ceilometer) are used to derive two descriptions of the aerosol properties and vertical distribution: a first, more accurate description, which includes the whole spectral information about the aerosol extinction coefficient, phase function and single scattering albedo; a second, more approximate one, which only relies on spectrally constant values of aerosol single scattering albedo and asymmetry factor. This information is used as input for radiative transfer simulations, which allow to estimate, in cloudless conditions, the shortwave aerosol direct radiative effect and the vertical profile of the instantaneous heating rates in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The simulations obtained with the two descriptions do not differ significantly: they highlight a strong surface dimming (between − 25 and − 50 W m− 2) due to the presence of aerosol, with a considerable radiative absorption inside the atmospheric column (around + 30 W m− 2), and an overall small cooling effect for the Earth-atmospheric system. The absorption of solar radiation within the atmospheric column due to aerosol leads to instantaneous heating rates up to 1.5 K day− 1 in the tropospheric layers below 6 km a.s.l. These results show that, in some conditions, the shortwave aerosol direct radiative effect can be considerable even in this Alpine environment, usually considered as relatively pristine (yearly average PM10 concentration about 20 μg m− 3).

Effect of aerosol vertical distribution on the transfer of solar radiation through the atmosphere

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias Fountoulakis ◽  
Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou ◽  
Emmanouil Proestakis ◽  
Antonis Gkikas ◽  
Panagiotis Ioannis Raptis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Aerosol Extinction ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Max Planck

<p>Aerosols play a key role in radiative transfer processes at the Earth’s atmosphere. The complex interactions between aerosols and solar radiation cannot be easily modeled, and thus, aerosols constitute a major uncertainty factor in radiative transfer simulations. Radiative effects of aerosols depend not only on their physical and chemical properties, but also on their distribution in the atmosphere. Despite the important role of the vertical distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere, default climatological profiles are commonly used in modeling studies. Uncertainties related with the use of default profiles have been roughly analyzed and discussed in the existing bibliography.</p><p>In the context of the present study we simulated the downwelling and upwelling irradiance, heating rates, and the actinic flux at different altitudes, from 0 to 8 km, in the atmosphere. Simulations were performed for four different European sites – where aerosol mixtures constitute from quite different aerosol species – using a default climatological aerosol extinction profile, and the seasonally and annually averaged extinction profiles for each site from the LIdar climatology of Vertical Aerosol Structure for space-based lidar simulation studies (LIVAS). By comparing the results, the effect of using a more representative profile of the aerosol extinction coefficient for each of the sites, instead of a default climatological profile, was estimated. In addition to the aerosol profiles, climatological values of aerosol optical properties and water vapor from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), the  version 2 Max-Planck-Institute Aerosol Climatologyand (MACv2), the Modis Dust AeroSol (MIDAS) climatology, and atmospheric and land-surface variables from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring System (CAMS), were used as inputs to the libRadtran radiative transfer model. Spectra in the range 280 – 3000 nm were simulated for different solar zenith angles, and the integrals of the spectra, as well as the integrals in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions were analyzed.</p><p>Results of the analyses are presented and discussed in order to study the sensitivity of the radiometric quantities simulated by the model to the used aerosol extinction profile, for each of the four sites. Differences between the products of the simulations when the used aerosol optical depth (AOD) comes from different sources (LIVAS, AERONET, MIDAS, CAMS) have been also investigated. </p><p>Acknowledgements</p><p>This study was funded by the EuroGEO e-shape (grant agreement No 820852).</p>

scholarly journals Modeling of Aerosol Radiation-Relevant Parameters in the Troposphere of Siberia on the Basis of Empirical Data

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Panchenko ◽  
Svetlana Terpugova ◽  
Victor Pol’kin ◽  
Valerii Kozlov ◽  
Dmitry Chernov
Keyword(s):  
Complex Refractive Index ◽  
West Siberia ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Optical Characteristics ◽  
Asymmetry Factor ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Scattering Phase ◽  
Scattering Phase Function ◽  
Modal Radius

The paper presents the generalized empirical model of the aerosol optical characteristics in the lower 5-km layer of the atmosphere of West Siberia. The model is based on the data of long-term airborne sensing of the vertical profiles of the angular scattering coefficient, aerosol disperse composition, as well as the content of absorbing particles. The model provides for retrieval of the aerosol optical characteristics in visible and near IR wavelength ranges (complex refractive index, scattering and absorption coefficients, optical depth, single scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor of the scattering phase function). The main attention in the presented version of the model is given to two aspects: The study of the effect of the size spectrum of the absorbing substance in the composition of aerosol particles on radiative-relevant parameters (the single scattering albedo (SSA) and the asymmetry factor (AF)) and the consideration of different algorithms for taking into account the relative humidity of air. The ranges of uncertainty of SSA and AF at variations in the modal radius of the absorbing fraction at different altitudes in the troposphere are estimated.

scholarly journals Impact of long-range transport over the Atlantic Ocean on Saharan dust optical and microphysical properties

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Velasco-Merino ◽  
David Mateos ◽  
Carlos Toledano ◽  
Joseph M. Prospero ◽  
Jack Molinie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
West African ◽  
Asymmetry Factor ◽  
Caribbean Basin ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
Aerosol Properties

Abstract. Mineral dust aerosol can be a major driver of aerosol climatology in regions distant from the sources. This study addresses the change of columnar aerosol properties when mineral dust arrives to the Caribbean Basin after transport from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean. We use data from NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites in five Caribbean and two West African sites to characterize changes in aerosol properties: aerosol optical depth, size distribution, single scattering albedo, and refractive indexes. After obtaining local aerosol climatology in each area, the air mass connections between West Africa and Caribbean Basin have been investigated by means of air mass back trajectories. Over the period 1996–2014 we identify 3174 connection days, on average, 167 connection days per year. Among these, 1162 pairs of data present aerosol data in Caribbean sites with corresponding aerosol observations in Western Africa sites ~5–7 days before. Of these 1162 days, 484 meet the criteria to be characterized as mineral dust outbreaks. Based on these days we observe the following changes in aerosol-related properties in transiting the Atlantic: AOD decreases about 0.16 or −30 %; the volume particle size distribution shape shows no changes; single scattering albedo, refractive indexes, and asymmetry factor remain unchanged; the difference in the effective radius in West African area with respect to Caribbean Basin is between 0 and +0.3 µm; and half of the analyzed cases present predominance of non-spherical particles in both areas.

scholarly journals Investigation of NO<sub>2</sub> vertical distribution using two DOAS retrievals for GOME-2A measurements in the UV and vis spectral range

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa K. Behrens ◽  
Andreas Hilboll ◽  
Andreas Richter ◽  
Enno Peters ◽  
Henk Eskes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Spectral Range ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Vertical Profile ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Profile Shape ◽  
Spectral Ranges

Abstract. In this study, we present a novel NO2 DOAS retrieval in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral range for satellite observations from the Global Ozone Monitoring Instrument 2 on board EUMETSAT’s MetOp-A (GOME-2A) satellite. We compare the results to those from an established NO2 retrieval in the visible (vis) spectral range from the same instrument and infer information about the NO2 vertical profile shape in the troposphere. As expected, radiative transfer calculations for satellite geometries show that the sensitivity close to the ground is higher in the vis than in the UV spectral range. Consequently, NO2 slant column densities (SCDs) in the vis are usually higher than in the UV, if the NO2 is close to the surface. Therefore, these differences in NO2 SCDs between the two spectral ranges contain information on the vertical distribution of NO2 in the troposphere. We combine these results with radiative transfer calculations and simulated NO2 fields from the TM5 chemistry transport model to evaluate the simulated NO2 vertical distribution. We investigate regions representative for both anthropogenic and biomass burning NO2 pollution. Anthropogenic air pollution is mostly located in the boundary layer close to the surface, which is reflected by the large differences between UV and vis SCDs of ~ 60 %. Biomass burning NO2 in contrast is often uplifted into elevated layers above the boundary layer. This is best seen in tropical Africa south of the equator, where the biomass burning NO2 is well observed in the UV, and the difference between the two spectral ranges is only ~ 36 %. In tropical Africa north of the equator, however, the biomass burning NO2 is located closer to the ground, reducing its visibility. While not enabling a full retrieval of the vertical NO2 profile shape in the troposphere, our results can help to constrain the vertical profile of NO2 in the lower troposphere and, when analyzed together with simulated NO2 fields, can help interpret the model output.

scholarly journals Vertical profiles of submicron aerosol single scattering albedo over the Indian region immediately before monsoon onset and during its development: research from the SWAAMI field campaign

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 4031-4046
Author(s):  
Mohanan R. Manoj ◽  
Sreedharan K. Satheesh ◽  
Krishnaswamy K. Moorthy ◽  
Hugh Coe
Keyword(s):  
Active Phase ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Monsoon Onset ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Middle Troposphere ◽  
Submicron Aerosol ◽  
Aerosol Absorption

Abstract. Vertical structures of aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA), from near the surface through the free troposphere, have been estimated for the first time at distinct geographical locations over the Indian mainland and adjoining oceans, using in situ measurements of aerosol scattering and absorption coefficients aboard the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) BAe-146 aircraft during the South West Asian Aerosol Monsoon Interactions (SWAAMI) campaign from June to July 2016. These are used to examine the spatial variation of SSA profiles and also to characterize its transformation from just prior to the onset of Indian Summer Monsoon (June 2016) to its active phase (July 2016). Very strong aerosol absorption, with SSA values as low as 0.7, persisted in the lower altitudes (<3 km) over the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), prior to the monsoon onset, with a west-to-east gradient; lower values occurred in the north-western arid regions, peaking in the central IGP and somewhat decreasing towards the eastern end. During the active phase of the monsoon, the SSA is found to increase remarkably, indicating far less absorption. Nevertheless, significant aerosol absorption persisted in the lower and middle troposphere over the IGP. Inputting these SSA and extinction profiles into a radiative transfer model, we examined the effects of using height-resolved information in estimating atmospheric heating rates due to aerosols, over similar estimates made using a single columnar value. It was noted that use of a single SSA value leads to an underestimation (overestimation) of the heating rates over regions with low (high) SSA, emphasizing the importance of height-resolved information. Further, the use of realistic profiles showed significant heating of the atmosphere by submicron aerosol absorption at the middle troposphere, which may have strong implications for clouds and climate.

scholarly journals Continental pollution in the Western Mediterranean basin: large variability of the aerosol single scattering albedo and influence on the direct shortwave radiative effect

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Di Biagio ◽  
P. Formenti ◽  
L. Doppler ◽  
C. Gaimoz ◽  
N. Grand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Study Results

Abstract. Pollution aerosols strongly influence the composition of the Western Mediterranean basin, but at present little is known on their optical properties. We report in this study in situ observations of the single scattering albedo (ω) of pollution aerosol plumes measured over the Western Mediterranean basin during the TRAQA (TRansport and Air QuAlity) airborne campaign in summer 2012. Cases of pollution export from different source regions around the basin and at different altitudes between ~160 and 3500 m above sea level have been sampled during the flights. Data from this study show a large variability of ω, with values between 0.84–0.98 at 370 nm and 0.70–0.99 at 950 nm. The single scattering albedo generally decreases with the wavelength, with some exception associated to the mixing of pollution with sea spray over the sea surface. Lowest values of ω (0.84–0.70 between 370 and 950 nm) are measured in correspondence of a fresh plume possibly linked to ship emissions over the basin. The range of variability of ω observed in this study seems to be independent of the source region around the basin, as well as of the altitude and ageing time of the plumes. The observed variability of ω reflects in a large variability for the complex refractive index of pollution aerosols, which is estimated to span in the large range 1.41–1.75 and 0.002–0.068 for the real and the imaginary parts, respectively, between 370 and 950 nm. Radiative calculations in clear-sky conditions have been performed with the GAME radiative transfer model to test the sensitivity of the aerosol shortwave Direct Radiative Effect (DRE) to the variability of ω as observed in this study. Results from the calculations suggest up to a 50 % and 30 % change of the forcing efficiency (FE), i.e. the DRE per unit of optical depth, at the surface (−160÷−235 Wm−2 τ−1 at 60° solar zenith angle) and at the Top-Of-Atmosphere (−137÷−92 5 Wm−2 τ−1) for ω varying between its maximum and minimum value. This induces a change of up to an order of magnitude (+23÷+143 Wm−2 τ−1) for the radiative effect within the atmosphere.

scholarly journals Investigation of ice particle habits to be used for ice cloud remote sensing for the GCOM-C satellite mission

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 12287-12303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husi Letu ◽  
Hiroshi Ishimoto ◽  
Jerome Riedi ◽  
Takashi Y. Nakajima ◽  
Laurent C.-Labonnote ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Thickness ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Asymmetry Factor ◽  
Size Parameter ◽  
Geometric Optics ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Extinction Efficiency ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Cloud Properties

Abstract. In this study, various ice particle habits are investigated in conjunction with inferring the optical properties of ice clouds for use in the Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) satellite programme. We develop a database of the single-scattering properties of five ice habit models: plates, columns, droxtals, bullet rosettes, and Voronoi. The database is based on the specification of the Second Generation Global Imager (SGLI) sensor on board the GCOM-C satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in 2017 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. A combination of the finite-difference time-domain method, the geometric optics integral equation technique, and the geometric optics method is applied to compute the single-scattering properties of the selected ice particle habits at 36 wavelengths, from the visible to the infrared spectral regions. This covers the SGLI channels for the size parameter, which is defined as a single-particle radius of an equivalent volume sphere, ranging between 6 and 9000 µm. The database includes the extinction efficiency, absorption efficiency, average geometrical cross section, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry factor, size parameter of a volume-equivalent sphere, maximum distance from the centre of mass, particle volume, and six nonzero elements of the scattering phase matrix. The characteristics of calculated extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor of the five ice particle habits are compared. Furthermore, size-integrated bulk scattering properties for the five ice particle habit models are calculated from the single-scattering database and microphysical data. Using the five ice particle habit models, the optical thickness and spherical albedo of ice clouds are retrieved from the Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances-3 (POLDER-3) measurements, recorded on board the Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar (PARASOL) satellite. The optimal ice particle habit for retrieving the SGLI ice cloud properties is investigated by adopting the spherical albedo difference (SAD) method. It is found that the SAD is distributed stably due to the scattering angle increases for bullet rosettes with an effective diameter (Deff) of 10 µm and Voronoi particles with Deff values of 10, 60, and 100 µm. It is confirmed that the SAD of small bullet-rosette particles and all sizes of Voronoi particles has a low angular dependence, indicating that a combination of the bullet-rosette and Voronoi models is sufficient for retrieval of the ice cloud's spherical albedo and optical thickness as effective habit models for the SGLI sensor. Finally, SAD analysis based on the Voronoi habit model with moderate particle size (Deff = 60 µm) is compared with the conventional general habit mixture model, inhomogeneous hexagonal monocrystal model, five-plate aggregate model, and ensemble ice particle model. The Voronoi habit model is found to have an effect similar to that found in some conventional models for the retrieval of ice cloud properties from space-borne radiometric observations.

scholarly journals Comparison of UV-RSS spectral measurements and TUV model runs for clear skies for the May 2003 ARM aerosol intensive observation period

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 17401-17427
Author(s):  
J. J. Michalsky ◽  
P. W. Kiedron
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
Spectral Irradiance ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Visible Range ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Intensive Observation ◽  
Aerosol Properties ◽  
Observation Period

Abstract. The first successful deployment of the fully-operational ultraviolet rotating shadow-band spectroradiometer occurred during the May 2003 U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's Aerosol Intensive Observation Period. The aerosol properties in the visible range were characterized using redundant measurements with several instruments to determine the column aerosol optical depth, the single scattering albedo, and the asymmetry parameter needed as input for radiative transfer calculations of the downwelling direct normal and diffuse horizontal solar irradiance in clear-sky conditions. The Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) radiative transfer model developed by Madronich and his colleagues at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research was used for the calculations of the spectral irradiance between 300–360 nm. Since there are few ultraviolet measurements of aerosol properties, most of the input aerosol data for the radiative transfer model are based on the assumption that UV input parameters can be extrapolated from the visible portion of the spectrum. Disagreements between available extraterrestrial spectra, which are discussed briefly, suggested that instead of comparing irradiances that measured and modeled spectral transmittances between 300–360 nm should be compared for the seven cases studied. These cases included low to moderate aerosol loads and low to high solar-zenith angles. A procedure for retrieving single scattering albedo in the ultraviolet based on the comparisons of direct and diffuse transmittance is outlined.

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